Current Faculty & Staff

Theatre & Dance

ShelbyNewport, M.F.A.

Department Chair, Associate Professor and Resident Costume Designer

Education: M.F.A, Purdue University, B.S.S, Cornell College

Shelby has designed costumes around the United States and England at various theatres including Purple Rose Theatre (Chelsea, Michigan) where she is a Resident Artist. She has also designed regionally at Flint Youth Theatre (Flint, Michigan), St. Croix Festival Theatre (St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin) and Tipping Point Theatre (Northville, Michigan). Her work has also been seen at the Turner Contemporary Museum in Margate, England and at the London Stratford Circus Arts Centre. Her film design work includes the 2009 and 2010 opening teasers for the Indianapolis 500, produced by ESPN and aired on ABC. www.shelbynewport.com.

Theatre & Dance

JanetHaley, M.F.A.

Associate Professor

Education: M.F.A., University of Texas-Austin B.A., Theatre and English, University of Michigan-Flint

Janet is an Artistic Associate at Michigan Shakespeare Festival, and an active member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the professional union for performers and stage managers. Civic Engagement is a primary value for Janet, and she specializes in original, site-specific works made with students, alumni and community partners, such as Flint Farmers' Market, Glenwood Cemetery, and Riverbank Park.

Theatre & Dance

WilliamIrwin, M.F.A.

Associate Professor

Education: M.F.A., Acting, University of Florida B.A., Theatre, University of Michigan-Flint

William is a working member of the Actors' Equity Association with numerous credits in classical, contemporary, and musical theatre. His concentration at UM-Flint is professional actor training, directing, stage combat, voice for professional and occupational users, and comedic technique.

Theatre & Dance

StephanieDean, M.F.A.

Associate Professor

Stephanie has worked internationally and regionally as a performer and director. Most recently she worked with The Other Mirror Theatre Company, based in New York. She is a member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association and is a certified teacher of Somatic Voicework (sm). She teaches musical theatre, acting, voice and movement.

Theatre & Dance

LisaBorton, M.F.A.

Lecturer IV & Resident Scenic Designer

Education: M.F.A, University of Iowa, B.A, Hope College

Works as a scenic artist at professional theaters including Santa Fe Opera, Cleveland Play House and Great River Shakespeare Festival (Winona, MN). Her professional design work has been seen at Hope Summer Repertory, Tipping Point Theatre and Flint Youth Theatre.

Theatre & Dance

BethFreiman, M.F.A.

Lecturer IV & Director of Dance

Beth serves as Director of Dance at U of M Flint where she has been teaching since 2002. Her teaching focuses on ballet, modern dance, and choreography. Aside from traditional dance forms, she also teaches yoga, pilates mat, and GYROTONIC®.

Theatre & Dance

EmmaDavis

Lecturer II & Dance Instructor

Education: M.A. Liberal Studies, American Theatre; B.A. Journalism; B.A. English with a specialization in writing, and dance minor from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Emma Davis teaches Introduction to Dance, Dance Ensemble, modern dance, tap, ballet, hip hop, and is certified in Giordano jazz dance. Her research and practice emphasize dance and civic engagement, including work with incarcerated youth, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. Davis performs nationally and internationally as a back-up dancer with music artist Tunde Olaniran. Davis currently serves on the board of directors for the Michigan Dance Council.

Theatre & Dance

AndrewMorton, M.A.

Lecturer II & Director

Education: MA, Goldsmith’s College, University of London: Cross-Sectoral and Community Arts, B.A. University of Michigan-Flint

Andrew is an award-winning playwright and member of the Dramatists Guild. Prior to his return to UM-Flint, he was the Education Officer at the Blue Elephant Theatre in London, England and worked as a teaching artist and practitioner for several UK-based theatre companies. Andrew is currently the Playwright-in-Residence at Flint Youth Theatre.

Theatre & Dance

DaveThompson

Scene Shop Manager

Theatre & Dance

Sheena Lewis

Administrative Assistant

Sheena Lewis has been with the University of Michigan in some capacity for almost 15 years, first as a student and then as an employee. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Communication from UM-Flint, and has worked for both the Ann Arbor and Flint campuses. She has built a reputation on being a tech savvy relationship builder who seeks out solutions to make projects run smoothly and efficiently. In her spare time, Sheena volunteers with the UM-Flint Alumni Leadership Core and the Genesee County Hispanic and Latino Collaborative, and also enjoys taking classes, reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and their dogs.

LaurenFriesen, Ph.D

Professor Emeritus & David M. French Professor

He is a recipient of the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for "Excellence in Theatre" and the Indiana Theatre Association's award for his "Outstanding Contribution to University Theatre." His recent publications include a translation of Hermann Sudermann's The Storm Komrade Sokrates (University Press of America) and the essay "Ritual, Race and Reconciliation in Anna Deavere Smith's Play Fires in the Mirror," (Munster: LIT Verlag). His monologue "Still Waiting for Rachel" was published in Monologues for Men by Heinneman Press. He just completed the translation of a novel...But Stones Can't Speak by the holocaust survivor Carlo Ross. In April 2007, Vertigo Productions in Flint produced his latest 2-act play Rothko.

Theatre & Dance

Carolyn M.Gillespie , M.F.A.

Professor Emerita

Carolyn joined the UM-Flint faculty in 1987 after a dozen years at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is the recipient of a number of awards for her creative output, as well as for her teaching and service to the university and to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She is a member of Actors' Equity and continues a freelance career as actor and director.